Beer May Build Strong Bones

I grew up seeing the commercials for milk doing a body good. They said it helped you grow big and tall and have strong bones. Little did I realize that the same could be said about beer. Thankfully, science has yet again stepped in to show us another benefit of this wonderful beverage.

A team of scientist from the Centre for Biomedical Technology of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and the Institute of Materials Science and the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) have discovered that "beer waste" may be used to help medical patients in need of prosthetic bones.

"Beer waste" refers to the spent grains left over after the brewing process. Right now, this is mostly wasted in the brewing industry. People have been looking for uses for many years, but it's still something that the brewer has no need for after making their beer. The new research found that “bagasse”, a residue left over in the waste, could be used to create a new bio-material because it contains the main components found in bones: phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and silica.

They think that this could be used to coat and create prosthetics and not only uses something that would usually go to waste, but will be much more cost effective for the patient as well. The team tested the new material and as of now it's still not clear how much better it would be than the current process. More testing still needs to be done.

While more testing will still need to be done, we can all agree on one thing. Homer Simpson definitely made a valid point when he said, "To Alcohol! The cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems."